Change starts with you.
A Multidimensional Approach to Wellness
Develop a better understanding of practices that impact your life and the lives of your students. Our customizable learning experiences span social and emotional learning information and interventions, as well as wellness and behavior change guidance, to support all dimensions of a person’s well-being. It’s more than just mental health. Help build a better future for yourself, your students, and your community.
Professional Learning and Training
Free to licensed Iowa educators through September 30, 2024.
Expert Instruction
From experts across teaching and learning, social work, psychology, counseling and psychiatry.
License Renewal Credit
Free credit available for all licensed Iowa Pk-12 educators.
Credit options available for educators outside the state of Iowa and across professional disciplines.
Tier 1 Learning Experiences
Social, Emotional, Behavioral Health (SEBH) Overview
Creator: Kelly Dolan Sapp, Ed.D., Social Emotional Learning Coach and Professional Learning Facilitator.
How do we define SEBH? What does state policy say? What does the research say? What are the core competencies? How do I use them in my own life and practice? How do I teach them to my students? All of these questions and more will be explored.
- Gain an understanding of and be able to discuss current Iowa state SEBH policy.
- Name and understand the 5 CASEL SEL Competencies.
- Identify and plan for implementation and integration of the 5 CASEL SEL Competencies within a classroom.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Creator: Rhonda Nese, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon and a Principal Investigator within Educational and Community Supports.
Provides universal, preventive, proactive schoolwide management strategies that are designed to meet the needs of all students. This learning module will address systems, practices, and data necessary to ensure effective Tier 1 implementation, that is provided equitably to all students.
- What: Learners will be able to describe the core features of Tier 1 PBIS.
- Why: Learners will be able to define the rationale for implementation of Tier 1 PBIS.
- How: Learners will be able to explain the process for implementing Tier 1 PBIS.
- Who: Learners will be able to identify the team and data systems needed to monitor implementation of Tier 1 PBIS.
Suicide Prevention and Postvention: What Educators Need to Know
Creator: DeQuincy Meiffren-Lezine, Ph.D., CEO, Prevention Communities.
This professional learning experience will increase your understanding of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention in an education context, and it will offer an array of evidence-based tools that school staff can use to recognize suicide risk and respond effectively.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this training module, participants will be able to:
- Identify the five (5) major stages in the progression of risk that can lead to suicide (the Suicidal Crisis Path).
- Categorize programs and activities according to five (5) intervention points in the Suicidal Crisis Path.
- Summarize risk assessment using risk scales such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS).
- Outline a Safety Plan with six (6) key sections that provide practical guidance for managing suicide risk.
Understanding Childhood Trauma and Mitigating Stress
Creator: Addison Duane, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, I4Y – Innovations for Youth, University of California, Berkley.
This professional learning experience will introduce you to the concept of childhood trauma, through exploration of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and other measures of psychological trauma, and explore the situated contexts that surround a developing individual as it relates to ACEs. Using an ecological frame, you will learn the importance of taking up a strengths-based view of children and families, and the impact of trauma on functioning and development. You will also learn about the distinction between stress and trauma and explore the role of schools in mitigating– and preventing– future trauma from occurring.
Learning Goals:
- Apply strengths-based views to understanding children and trauma.
- Differentiate between stress and trauma.
- Understand the connection between trauma and schooling.
- Identify specific educator practices that can mitigate stress and trauma responses.
Assisting Educators in Developing an Enduring Self-Care Regimen
Creator: Dr. Cirecie Olatunji, Melba Fortuné Martinez Endowed Professor in the counselor education program and director of the Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit at Xavier University of Louisiana.
What is compassion fatigue and why are educators particularly vulnerable? Instead of compassion fatigue educators want to experience compassion satisfaction. Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring and educators pay a high price. In this module, you’ll learn enduring self-care strategies to prevent compassion fatigue from creeping into your life and lifelong strategies to achieve compassion satisfaction.
- Participants will increase knowledge about compassion fatigue and its impact on education professions.
- Participants will enhance their awareness of their adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms when dealing with day-to-day stressors.
- Participants will augment their coping skills to mediate the impact of secondary traumatic stress in the work environment.
Establishing Bully-Free Classrooms and Schools
Creator: Dr. Chad Rose, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri, and the Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab.
In this module, we will learn evidence-based strategies for establishing bully-free schools through school-wide training and implementation of universal bully prevention interventions for K-12 schools, while providing targeted and individualized interventions for students who are at-risk for escalated rates of bullying involvement.
- Participants will understand the defining characteristics of bullying and associated roles.
- Participants will understand predictive and protective factors associated with bullying involvement.
- Participants will understand various school-wide prevention methods.
Tier 2 Learning Experiences
Using SEL Competencies to Support Equity-Based Practices
Creator: Kelly Dolan Sapp, Ed.D., Social Emotional Learning Coach and Professional Learning Facilitator.
This 3-part series discusses ways that SEBH and SEL practices support and advance equity in our schools. Learn how SEL advances equity by examining authentic family-school community partnerships grounded recognizing and understanding all cultures within the community.
By the end of this training module, participants will be able to:
- Gain an understanding of Transformative SEL and its equity elaborations.
- Receive tangible resources to plan for and facilitate implementation of equity concepts and practices in school-day activities.
- Learn about and discuss activities to incorporate and involve SEL in the student sharing of lived experiences and the family-school partnership.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Creator: Leanne S. Hawken, PhD, BCBA, LBA; Professor Emeritus in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) provides universal, proactive schoolwide preventative strategies that are designed to meet the needs of all students. This learning module will address the systems, practices, and data necessary to ensure effective Tier 2 implementation, that is provided equitably to all students that need additional supports beyond the Tier 1 level.
- What: Describe the core features of Tier 2 PBIS.
- Why: Define the rationale for implementation of Tier 2 PBIS.
- How: Explain the process for implementing Tier 2 PBIS.
Suicide Prevention Legal Issues and Best Practices for Suicide Postvention
Creator: Scott Poland, Ed.D., Professor at the College of Psychology and Director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office for NSU Florida in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
This professional learning experience will increase the understanding of school-based mental health professionals* around their role in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention practices in their schools, and it will offer an array of evidence-based tools that these professionals can use to recognize suicide risk and respond effectively.
*School psychologists, school counselors, social workers, crisis response team members, and behavior interventionists.
- Become familiar with student behaviors related to suicide and the components of comprehensive suicide prevention, intervention and postvention in schools.
- Understand the importance of responding immediately to screen students when a student is suspected of being at-risk for suicide and the importance of parent notification, referral to community-based professionals and follow up at school.
- Identify the goals of suicide postvention and the best practices resources for suicide postvention in schools.
- Understand key legal issues in lawsuits filed against schools after a student suicide and the lessons for suicide prevention from the legal causes.
Trauma Informed Restorative Justice
Creator: Steffannie Roaché, MS, LPC, Asstant Professor of Practice, Trauma Informed educator, and licensed therapist.
During this course, we will explore, discuss, and apply concepts that support a Trauma Informed Approach to Restorative Justice. Each participant will engage in reflective exercises, shared learning when applicable; explore different ways to think about key concepts in both Restorative Justice (RJ) as well as Trauma Informed Care (TIC). The goal is to present opportunities to gain new awareness, define your understanding of RJ and TIC, and describe how to apply this information in meaningful ways.
- Understand the foundations of restorative justice and identify effective practices for using a trauma-informed approach with students.
- Develop skills for creating a safe and supportive environment, engaging all parties involved, and addressing power imbalances in trauma-informed restorative justice processes with students.
- Explore case studies and real-world examples of trauma-informed restorative justice practices with students.
Identifying our 8 Dimensions of Wellness and Creating a System of Support
Creator: Kari Vogelgesang, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Elementary Education, Director of Professional Development for the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and the Baker Teacher Leader Center.
This module explores the interconnectivity of the 8-dimensions of wellness, how a person’s values and identity shape personal wellness, practices, and habits, and what educators can do to create a system of support for their personal and professional well-being.
- Participants will be able to explain the difference between wellness and well-being.
- Participants will increase their knowledge about the 8 dimensions of wellness.
- Participants will increase their understanding of how their identity and personal values impact the decisions they make about their well-being.
- 4. Participants will learn effective strategies for creating a system that supports their well-being.
Establishing Bully-Free Classrooms and Schools – Tier 2 Practices
Creator: Chad Rose, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri, and the Director of the Mizzou Ed Bully Prevention Lab.
This module is designed to provide an overview of bullying prevention within an MTSS framework, with a focus on Tier 2 interventions. This module is divided into three sections, including an introduction to Tier 2 practices, classroom approaches, and small group approaches. Additionally, this module provides intervention approaches that directly address social and communication skill development and acquisition, as these two domains have been cited as predictive of bullying involvement.
- Develop a deeper understanding of bullying prevention for youth at-risk for increased involvement
- Recognize the importance of using behavioral risk screeners to identify youth who are at escalated risk for bullying involvement.
- Participants will increase their understanding of how their identity and personal values impact the decisions they make about their well-being.
- Establish a foundational knowledge of implementing social skills programming for youth at-risk for bullying involvement.
Meeting a Critical Need
#2
one in 13 iowa high school students
Suicide is the #2 leading cause of death for Iowans age 14-44
COVID-19 has increased the mental health needs
one in 13 iowa high school students
for students of all ages
1 IN 13
one in 13 iowa high school students
One in 13 Iowa high school students have attempted suicide one or more times
The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health was founded in 2021 as part of the University of Iowa, an institute that has been dedicated to supporting academic excellence since 1847. Through cutting-edge research, top-tier faculty, and a community of inspired and innovative students, the University of Iowa has become one of the most distinguished public universities in the nation. As an R1 doctoral university, it is classified in the highest tier of research for institutions in the nation—fewer than 4% have that distinction.